Child Of Magic, Child Of Ice
by Lacrimula Falsa
Summary: Stealing the Casket of Ancient Winters from the Vault, Laufey learns that Loki is the son he thought dead, and strikes a desperate bargain with Odin: The Casket and peace with Asgard for his child. Does the love of Loki's blood family stand a chance against the hold of a lifetime of lies? [AU, full summary inside. In response to a norsekink prompt. Will be Loki/(male!)Angerboda.]
1. Prologue - Leif's Offer

**Child Of Magic, Child Of Ice  
** _by Lacrimula Falsa_

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ I do not own any part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and/or any other Marvel franchise. I write for fun, not for profit.

 _Summary:_ Laufey is the ruler of Jotunheim, and it is his duty to see the stolen Casket of Ancient Winters returned to its Realm. So when an Asgardian traitor offers an opportunity to regain the ancient relict, Laufey takes it. But the old magic of the Casket reveals a horrible truth to him: The child he thought dead lives as a son of Odin. Loki, Prince of Asgard. Striking a desperate bargain with Odin, Laufey offers the casket in exchange for his child, knowing that his son has been raised to hate him. Can a family's love and a father's determination really win against the hold of a lifetime of lies? [AU, begins mid-Thor. Eventually Loki/(male!)Angerboda. WIP.]

 _A/N:_ Written for a norsekink prompt that you can find here:

norsekink **DOT** livejournal **DOT** com **SLASH** 13479 **DOT** html?thread=34090151#t34090151

This deviates from the prompt somewhat, mostly where the beginning/story 'setup' is concerned. Also, since Angerboda is male for most of this story, as is Loki, this is slash (most of the time.) Not your thing? Not the story for you. Otherwise, enjoy.

 **Note on terminology and stuff:**  
In this verse Jötnar can take male, female and an "in-between" form, called _rudnar_. Instead of _mother_ and _father_ , they use ' _dam_ ' (the person that carried and birth the child) and ' _sire_ ' (the other parent). They also have the word _darí_ , which means 'parent'. This is what Helblindi and Byleistr call Laufey and Fárbauti.

Jötnar use whatever pronoun is currently applicable, _he_ while in male form, _she_ while female and _they_ while "in-between". They don't care if other races misuse pronouns. (Mostly.)

Now onward to the story!

* * *

 **Prologue – Leif's Offer  
** _[Laufey]_

Laufey was in the process of removing all the tangles from Fárbauti's hair when one of the royal messengers burst through the curtain of their chambers in a whirl of ice-dust.

"Your Majesty!"

Not looking up from his combing, Laufey held up a hand.

"Rugnàr, calm yourself. There have been no urgent news in the last centuries, yet you still deliver every message out of breath. One day your haste will kill you."

"But your majesty, someone came here! An Asgardian. He says he knows a way to the Casket!"

Looking up sharply, Laufey nearly tore out a strand of his mate's hair in his haste to get up. Fárbauti got up marginally slower, removing the comb from her hair.

"Where are they?"

Already halfway out the curtain, Laufey took a moment to be grateful for his mate's calmness. He would have blindly run towards his throne room, which well might be empty.

You did not simply _put an Asgardian there_.

"He is in the great hall, your Highness. He says his name is Leif, and that he has come to take revenge on Odin."

 _Revenge on Odin_. Interesting. It was something Laufey could well understand wanting, but at the same time it was strange. Asgardians usually worshipped the All-Father.

He turned back towards his messenger.

"Is he wearing a spell?"

Rugnàr nodded.

"To conceal his true appearance, yes."

 _Ah._ Maybe not actually of Asgard, then.

"Lead him into the throne room only after I arrive there."

* * *

Leif was a fearsome sight, and Laufey was glad that Fárbauti had stayed with their children. They did not need to see an Asgardian warrior the size of a small Jotun standing in the throne room armed to his teeth.

Laufey himself was not to keen on the sight, but desperate times called for desperate measures, even if he would rather have the blond warrior (who _was_ of Asgard, if not wearing his true face) dragged back to where he'd come from by the neck. Preferably a broken neck.

"Asgardian."

Leif bowed in a show of respect unexpectedly devoid of mocking.

"King Laufey."

"My messenger tells me you have an offer for us."

"I do. I know that your Realm's core, the Casket of Ancient Winters, resides in Odin's vault. I offer you the opportunity to steal it."

The Jotun king regarded the visitor critically.

"Why?"

Leif seemed unfazed by the blunt question.

"Odin has wronged me for years, as has his son Thor. If your people become strong enough to once again pose a threat to the Realm Eternal, it will benefit me greatly."

Laufey frowned.

"You would commit treason."

Leif smiled a dagger-thin smile that look almost like a caricature on his bearded face.

"The House of Odin is full of traitors."

The Jotun king smiled, purposefully showing his teeth.

"And what, dare I ask, do you wish in return?"

"If you succeed, all my wishes shall be fulfilled. If not…" Leif made an expansive gesture. "…I lose nothing."

"I see."

And Laufey _did_ see. Leif wanted to send Asgard into a panic, so whatever plans he himself had hatched would be easier to carry out. Maybe he even had ambitions towards taking Asgard's throne by force, which of course was ridiculously foolish.

But then, it was not Laufey's problem if the fool got himself killed after he himself had the Casket.

"And how, _Leif of Asgard_ , would you grant us access to the Vault?"

"I know of a pathway between the worlds. A fine rupture in the very structure of the Real Eternal. But this passage – that leads to Jotunheim – may only be used once. After you return through it it will crumble if not kept open from Asgard's side. No second try, you would need a good distraction." Leif smiled the dagger-smile again. "Like Prince Thor's coronation. All of Asgard distracted by the festivities. An ideal opportunity that will only come once."

"Very clever Asgardian. But you realise that if we regain the Casket, you risk an invasion?"

Leif made a dismissive sound.

"The Allfather's army has beaten you before, and now you are weak, not what you once were. An invasion will take time, and I will have ample opportunity to bring my plans to fruition."

Laufey had to force himself to remain calm. As much as implying that the Jötnar were weak was an insult, it was also bitter truth. His Realm was weak. They were in no state to attack Asgard, and would be foolish to draw Heimdall's gaze towards them after they regained the Casket.

"I will speak with my advisors, and decide after."

Leif bowed again.

"As you wish."

* * *

Laufey had only ever needed one advisor.

His mate was both an excellent strategist and a diligent Regent, and he had learned the hard way that not listening to Fárbauti always cost him.

 _Fárbauti never wanted to go to Midgard with the Casket…_

Well. A thought for another time.

"He promised you the Casket asking nothing in return. Do you think it is a trap?"

Laufey shook his head.

"I sensed seidr, but perceived no ill intent past the Asgardian usual. He certainly does not wish us well and sees us as mere pawns in his game, but I do not believe that he will trick us. He has much to lose if his treason is discovered."

Fárbauti snorted.

"Yes. His life."

They shared a look, likely both thinking the same thing. Death was no fit punishment for a traitor.  
Fárbauti frowned, looking at the air, or rather, at strands of magic Laufey could not see even though he knew them to be there.

"Interesting, that one of their men would use seidr."

Laufey made a derisive sound.

"Asgardians have always been quick to embrace what they usually shun as 'lesser' the moment it aids them. Odin Allfather is a hypocrite to call seidr women's art, when he himself rules only through the magic of his Realm."

Fárbauti smiled.

"Truth you speak my mate, but the Allfather's hypocrisy is what will return the Casket to us."

Laufey blinked at his mate.

"I do not follow your mind. Not that that is unusual, but I find myself more confused than that one time you turned me into a spider."

Fárbauti's smile turned to laughter, which was what he had been aiming for, even if his confusion was real.

"You see, dearheart, the Allfather deems the Casket safe, watched over by the Destroyer. I am sure that Odin thinks that if you ever made a bid for the Casket, you would send lowly soldiers in an attempt not to loose 'valuable' lives. And indeed, they would be burned by the metal giant's flames before they ever touched it. But you are Jotunheim's king, and the Casket will answer your call. If you go to Asgard yourself, the Destroyer will not stand a chance against the Casket's magic. The Vault will be covered in frost faster than Odin can say 'midwinter'."

It took a short while until all the pieces fell into place in Laufey's mind, but when they did a grin split his face that showed all his sharp teeth.

"I see. Odin will not think that someone he sees as a man would wield magic, or that I would risk my own life."

Still grinning somewhat madly, Laufey acted on an impulse and lifted his small mate to swing her around in a circle, her black hair flying behind her.

"My clever Fárbauti. What would I ever do without you?"

"Be miserable."

Laufey's laughter nearly made the walls of their chambers shake.

His children were nearly grown up, his mate was clever as ever and the Casket was within his reach for the first time in centuries. And if he had to risk his life and trust an Asgardian traitor, he would do it in a heartbeat if it meant that the people of his Realm would be as safe and happy as his family.


	2. One – Odin's Doubts

_A/N:_ The dialogue in the beginning of this chapter comes from a deleted scene I found on YouTube (/watch?v=P23aKF-694k). I only replaced Nornheim with Muspelheim in Loki's second line.

The coronation scene is, of course, taken directly from the film. (As I'm sure you'll notice I finished Odin's speech.)

* * *

 **One – Odin's Doubts  
** _[Loki]_

"Nervous, brother?"

"Have you _ever_ known me to be nervous?"

No, of course not. The great golden Thor was never nervous. That would, after all, imply that he was even remotely capable of self-doubt.

"Well, there was that time in Muspelheim…"

"Eh, that was not _nerves_ , brother, _that_ was the rage of battle."

"Ah, of course."

"How else could I have fought my way through a hundred warriors and pulled us out alive?"

"Huh. As I recall, I was the one who veiled us in smoke to ease our escape."

Thor's laughter clearly indicated what exactly he thought of Loki's contribution to their continued survival.

"Yes. Some do battle, others just do tricks."

Loki bit his tongue until it bled, ignoring the servant barely concealing his laughter next to them. Let him laugh. Once the frost giants attacked, Thor would see just what his _tricks_ could do, when _Loki_ slew the beasts and saved the day. There would be no glory for Prince Thor today.

And as for the incident in Muspelheim…well, he hadn't come out of that empty-handed either. The legendary sword Lævateinn, and he'd stolen it from right under the fire-giant queen's nose. Sinmara had admittedly been furious, but then Thor insulting her whole race would have accomplished that anyway.

So Loki kept his silence while Thor threw back another chalice of mead.

 _Do drink yourself into a stupor on your coronation day, brother dearest. Why ever not._

Even though he tried his best to keep quiet from then on, Loki couldn't quite hold his tongue as Thor accepted his ridiculous feathered helmet.

"Oh, nice feathers."

"You don't really want to start this again, do you, _cow?_ "

Gritting his teeth, he refrained from turning Thor's helmet into a hedgehog and instead pushed his brother in the direction of the great hall.

"Come now. It is time. I would wager that even you would not want to risk being late to your coronation."

Grinning in an infuriatingly jovial way, Thor stepped through the golden doors, probably picturing himself in King's Garb already.

 _Well, no dice brother._

* * *

 _[Odin]_

Thor was not ready.

It was painfully obvious from the way he walked – or rather, the way he _swaggered_ – down the length of the Great Hall, waving and shouting to the crowds.

The behaviour of a young prince, beloved by all, not a future king aware of the burden that was about to be placed on his shoulders.

Odin heaved an unheard sigh. Thor was not ready, but he was old and tired. He could feel the Odinsleep creeping up on him, weighing down his bones with the knowledge that he had so very little time to prepare his son for kingship. Thor had a good heart, but a personality unburdened by self-restraint.

It was with his own heart heavy in his chest that Odin spoke more of Thor's weapon and himself than of his firstborn, but his words were the only admonition to his son he dared voice without fear of rumours spreading.

No one could know that he thought Thor yet unfit to rule, even though it was a truth he knew in his heart.  
(His trepidation was not helped by the fact that he saw Thor _wink_ at Frigga as he knelt in front of Hliðskjálf.)

Odin rose and banged Gungnir on the floor, silencing everyone in the room.

"Thor Odinson, my heir, my firstborn.

 _I will love you even if you fail but I would ask that you always give your best._

So long entrusted with the mighty hammer Mjölnir, forged in the heart of a dying star, its power has no equal, as a weapon to destroy or as a tool to build.

 _Be wise in how you choose to use it. It is so easy to destroy, but so very hard to rebuild what was lost._

'Tis a fit companion for a king.

 _And I hope that one day you will be a king truly worthy of wielding it._

I have defended Asgard and the lives of the innocent across the Nine Realms from the time of the great beginning.

 _The only thing I ask of you, my son, is that you always do the same. To the best of your abilities._

Though the day has come to pass on the burden of kingship to you, I hope that you will still welcome my counsel, and consider my advice.

 _And that of your brother, who has ever been the caution and restraint to your boldness and passion._

Asgard will have a great king in you."

 _One day, at least._

Odin knew better than to hope that Thor would understand the hidden meaning behind his words, but was relieved to see that Thor at least took his King's Vows in a respectful and earnest if not overly dignified manner.

"Do you swear to cast aside all selfish ambition and to pledge yourself only to the good of the Realms?"

 _Please, my son, understand how important this is._

Thor raised Mjölnir in a gesture that was well meant but broke all tradition and protocol.

"I swear!"

Odin sent a silent prayer to Yggdrasil and the Norns that all would be well.

"Then, on this day, I, Odin Allfather, proclaim you…"

Suddenly something caught his attention, a cold draft hitting his face. Instinctively turning his attention towards the seidr of Hliðskjálf, Odin's magic sight was drawn to the Vault.

What he saw there froze his blood.

"The Frost Giants!"

Channelling his magic trough Gungnir, Odin called forth the Destroyer. But to his surprise another magic, ancient seidr like he had felt it only twice in his life, pushed back against the Destroyer's fire. Within seconds, the iron golem was frozen.

Odin grasped Gungnir with so much force that his fingers lost all feeling.

"Laufey."


	3. Two – Laufey's Vision

**Note on terminology and stuff:** _'Ralr'_ is what the Jötnar call their 'heritage lines'. (The scar-like markings on their skin.)

* * *

 **Two – Laufey's Vision  
** _[Laufey]_

Laufey grinned, his heart still beating rapidly in his chest.

Before him the Destroyer stood frozen, no more threatening than an unmoving heap of metal. The Weapons Vault was covered in frost, and the Asgardian guards lay dead at his feet. Behind him his warriors cheered.

Even the Allfather was powerless against the Casket's magic.

Turning towards his people, Laufey was just about to open a passage back to Jotunheim when he felt a change in the Casket's seidr.

He didn't even have the time to start looking astonished before he was plunged into a vision.

-.-.-

 _The unmistakable sounds of war, a cacophony of ice on metal, screaming, destruction. Jotunheim in smoking ruins, dead Jötnar and Aesir everywhere. Silver-black and red blood on white snow, walls of ice crumbling with loud cracks._

 _Fárbauti, running past the broken ruins of the Elderstadt, a small bundle clutched to her chest, blood running down her side._

 _His child, Loptr, left alone in the temple when Fárbauti had to flee, to injured to fight and to weak to make both herself and her child invisible._

 _An Asgardian blade nearly hitting her heart._

 _-.-.-_

Laufey remembered this well, remembered Fárbauti's agonisingly slow recovery, and then her mad grief when he had to tell her that he had not found their then youngest child in the temple, nor anywhere else. The long months spent searching everywhere. Helblindi's crying, their eldest child instinctively aware that something was wrong even without understanding what it was, too young to grasp concepts like 'missing', or 'death'.

He had no time to wonder why the Casket was showing him this, because the vision was immediately followed by another.

The moment the first image became clear in his mind, he felt like his heart stopped.

-.-.-

 _A newborn, skin still a light shade of blue and ralr barely formed, cradled by Aesir hands. A silver helmet gleaming in the light, a white-skinned face with one eye missing from its bruised and bloody socket._

 _The child of Laufey and Fárbauti, cradled in the Allfather's hands._

 _Ruby eyes and blue skin vanishing to be replaced by emerald green and white._

 _The light of the Bifröst taking Odin away, the child cradled in his arms._

 _A woman in a blue gown laying a green-eyed baby down next to a blue-eyed one with a tuft of blond hair on it's head._

" _This is your little brother Thor. His name is Loki. Be nice."_

 _-.-.-_

The Casket hit the frozen floor with a crash, slipping from Laufey's numb fingers.

 _Impossible._

"No."

"My king?"

Laufey barely registered hat someone was touching his shoulder.

"My king, we have to hurry! Open a passage, we need to get back. The Aesir are coming!"

"No."

Heymin looked at Laufey in bewildered surprise.

"My king?"

Picking up the Casket from where it had fallen, Laufey squared his shoulders and addressed his general, standing tall.

"Let them come. Let the Allfather come. Odin has stolen something from me, and today I will see it returned."

"But Highness, the Casket…"

' _Is right there in your hands'_ , Heymin looked tempted to say, staring at Laufey as if afraid that the ancient seidr of the Casket had destroyed his king's mind.

"Not the Casket, Heymin. _Loptr_. Odin Allfather stole my child."

With that Laufey turned to face the Vault's golden doors, confident that his warriors would not question him. Waiting.

His purpose was clear in his mind.

He would bring his child home.


	4. Three – Foreign Skin

_A/N:_ This is it. The tipping point.

 **Notes on terminology etc.:**

Valaskjálf – what I named the Asgardian palace (found the name on Wikipedia and it sounded nice)

Jotun armour – Yes, I am aware that in the film we saw them wear something metallic-looking. I thought bone-armour was cooler, pun intended.

 _pårtyin_ – one of the worst insults the Jotun tongue has to offer, this basically implies that you wouldn't wipe your behind with a person's face

* * *

 **Three – Foreign Skin**  
 _[Loki]_

This was not what was supposed to happen.

Odin, Thor and Loki were on their way to the Vault. Where _Laufey_ was.

Laufey.

Anxiety prickled under Loki's skin like beetles crawling along his bones and he felt like he'd swallowed nightshade poison, nauseous and feverish.

This was not what was supposed to happen.

The Destroyer should have _incinerated_ the Jötnar. And even without the metal golem's protection, the Casket should have been _safe_ , protected by the strongest wards Loki knew how to weave.

But when the Jötnar ( _and their king_ , he thought with something akin to panic) had reached the Vault, suddenly something had _pushed_ against his wards, and they had shattered in an instant, the force of it nearly bringing him to his knees.

Luckily, with all eyes on Thor and the Allfather, no one had noticed.

His magic still felt strange and… _brittle_ , but Loki didn't slow down for one second, staying right behind Odin and Thor as they hurriedly passed through Valaskjálf's halls. They reached the Vault's golden doors in record time. Behind them, the Einherjar formed a wall of armour and grim faces.

"Thor, Loki, you will not speak until spoken to."

"Father, shouldn't Laufey have left with the Casket immediately?"

 _Why didn't he run. Why not leave for Jotunheim the moment he had the Casket. Why, why, why?_

Odin turned to face his younger son, face set in an expression that Loki privately called 'the king mask'.

"By all rights he should have. I know not why he lingers, but we must be prepared for the worst."

Loki felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest as Odin pushed the doors of the Weapons Vault open.

* * *

 _I did this. This isn't what was supposed to happen! How…_

His thoughts ground to a halt at the sight of the Jötnar.

They stood a good two to three heads taller than the average Asgardian, all five of them clad in dull white armour that looked to be made of bone. Laufey stood in the middle, the Casket held almost casually between his hands.  
The whole Vault was covered in ice, and the Einherjar who had been guarding it were naught but frozen corpses at Laufey's feet. Loki felt like he was about to keel over.

But before he could so much as take one more step towards the horrifying scene in front of him, Laufey's crimson eyes met his own, freezing him in his tracks without any magic at all.

 _Does he know?_

Did Laufey know or suspect that he was Leif? But surely he would not have come to Asgard if…

"Allfather. You look weary."

The Jotun king didn't so much as glance at Odin.

"Laufey."

"Do you know what I came here for, Odin, son of Bor?"

Laufey shifted slightly where he stood, his unwavering gaze still fixed on Loki. He went on before Odin could answer.

"I came here, to seek the heart of our world. But now the Casket is in my hands, and yet I linger. Do you know _why?_ "

"Your reasons elude me, Laufey."

Thor made as if to step past Odin, but thankfully his father's raised hand was enough to keep him from doing something ill-advised.

"You have stolen from me, Allfather."

Odin moved forward ever so slightly.

"And you hold the Casket now. You have already gained back what was taken from your Realm. If you leave now, peacefully, our truce need not be broken. Neither of us wants war, Laufey. Your people would not survive it, and mine would suffer for it. It would be nothing but useless bloodshed. We still have an agreement. If you leave now, I will not consider it forfeit. Your people suffer without the Casket's power, and a good king always looks to ease his people's suffering. I understand this, and I will be merciful and allow you…"

"How _dare_ you!"

Laufey's enraged roar all but shook the Vault's walls, and the Casket lit up in his hands. Icicles burst forth from the frost-covered floor, and Loki heard a pained shout behind him as one of the Einherjar was speared by one. But he couldn't look away from Laufey, who in turn was looking at Odin for the first time since the Allfather had entered the Vault, eyes filled with nothing but hate.

"How dare you speak of mercy, you, who have shown none! Not to my people, not to my Realm! Who took the heart of my Realm and left its people to suffer, who desecrated our temples and ripped the very _life_ from our world! And yet that was not enough! You _**stole my child**_ , _pårtyin!_ And if it would not doom my people I would kill you where you stand!"

Loki blinked in utter surprise, and one look at Thor confirmed that he wasn't the only one caught completely off guard. He couldn't see Odin's face, but figured that judging by the silence that had fallen over the Vault, the Allfather likewise had no words.

He was proven wrong a moment later.

"You are mad, Laufey. I took no child of yours."

The Jotun king looked, if that was even possible, more wrathful than before. It was a frightening sight, even discounting the Casket still clutched in his hands.

"LIAR! Do you think me blind, not to recognise my child when they are standing _right in front of me!?_ "

Laufey pointed a blue hand at Loki in an accusing gesture, who instinctively looked over his shoulder.

…

And then spent one endless moment staring at the empty spot behind him.

…

When he – slowly, ever so slowly – turned his head back around, Laufey was looking directly at him, red eyes boring into him as if the Frost Giant wanted to look under his skin. He found that he couldn't look away, however much he wanted to look at Odin to gauge his reaction.

Laufey bared his teeth like a wild beast going in for the kill, his voice suddenly, frighteningly calm.

"You lie, Allfather. My child was stolen, hidden under a false skin and raised as your own. Words can lie, but blood does not."

With that Laufey raised the Casket, pointing it directly at Loki's chest.

For a long moment, nothing happened.

"LOKI!"

Loki didn't even realise that he had been holding his breath, his seidr gathering in his hands, until he heard Thor's horrified shout. He turned towards his brother, even though he was reluctant to leave Laufey out of his sight.

Thor was staring at him with an expression Loki had never seen on his usually jovial face. Horror, mixed with something Loki didn't dare name.

"Thor what is it?"

His brother made an odd choking sound. Loki grit his teeth. It had to be bad if it could render battle-hardened Thor speechless.

"Thor. What. Is it."

"Y-Your face. And your hands."

Blinking in confusion, Loki looked at his hands.

 _Blue._

It was his first thought on seeing the changed colour of his hands, and it came without any accompanying emotion. His hands were blue.  
It took a long moment to connect that with the raised markings on the blue skin.

 _Blue skin. Jotun skin._

He had the skin of a Frost Giant.

" _My child was stolen, hidden under a false skin and raised as your own."_

It took a small eternity until all the pieces fell into place. When they did, Loki looked first at Thor, who was still staring at him in silent horror, then to Odin.

Odin, who was watching him with an unreadable expression, not the smallest trace of surprise written in his features.

"Father?"

"He is _not_ your father!"

Loki's eyes snapped to Laufey.

"You are _my child_ , and Odin stole you!"

"I did not."

Odin sounded resigned, but not angry.

"At the end of the war, I went into one of the Jotun temples, and I found a baby. Small, for a giant's offspring. Abandoned, left to die. Laufey's son."

Loki whipped his head around to stare at Odin, feeling like all his bones had been replaced with ice and his chest filled with shards of glass.

"Laufey's son."

His own voice was no more than a whisper, and it felt like the words burned his mouth.

Odin nodded.

"I'm Jotun."

The words tasted like ash.

Odin nodded again.

"Yes."

There was a loud sound of metal on stone as Thor dropped Mjölnir, but Loki didn't hear it. He wanted to run away – or maybe to wake up, because this _had to be_ a nightmare – but he couldn't. His head turned of its own accord, so he was facing Laufey again.

"No. No! He's lying, you're both lying! He did something to me, that Frost Giant monster cursed me! He cursed me!"

Anger bloomed in his chest, filling his veins like molten lead. He pointed a hand at Laufey, green magic crackling around his fingertips.

"You did something to me, undo it! You're lying, and you cursed me! Undo it, or I'll kill you!"

If it hadn't been that of a monster, one could have called Laufey's expression sad. The Jotun king's voice was calm, and he didn't look afraid of Loki's anger, or his magic.

"It is no lie, and it's no curse. You are my son, and this is your true skin. You were not abandoned, your sire brought you to the temple to protect you. We thought you dead, and it is the only reason I did not come for you sooner."

"NO! YOU'RE LYING!"

"No, Loki."

Odin's voice cut through Loki's anger like a knife through water, leaving a numbing, cold feeling in its wake.

" _What?_ "

"You are Laufey's son. I thought you abandoned, and that is the only reason I took you with me. I see now that it was not so, and that the assumptions I made were wrong. King Laufey is your father, and he has the right to demand you be returned to him. I thought that you were cast out, unwanted. That I took an orphan. I see now that in truth I took a prisoner. That is unforgivable, and if I do not meet Laufey's demand, he is within his rights to go to war with Asgard over you. I will not allow that."

"Father, are you _mad_!? How can you believe that monster's lies?! He did something to you, the Casket's magic addled your mind!"

 _Thor._ Loki felt something like relief in the small corner of his heart that wasn't cold with soul-crushing horror. Thor would make his father come to his senses. Odin listened to Thor. Odin _always_ listened to Thor.

"Silence!" Odin brought Gungnir down on the floor. "Thor, Loki will go with Laufey. I cannot risk another war, not even for your brother."

Thor stepped towards his father at that, Mjölnir raised in his fist.

"NO! As _King of Asgard_ , I will not allow it! He is not taking my brother!"

Sudden as lightning striking in a storm, Thor was blasted back by a wave of golden seidr, hitting the Vault's wall with a crash.

"But you are _not_ king! Not yet! I will not risk war for the life of one person, even if that person is Loki! THERE WILL BE NO MORE WAR UNDER MY RULE!"

Drawing his attention away from Thor, all anger gone from his features in a flash, Odin turned towards Laufey.

"Laufey, Loki is your son. But he was raised on Asgard, as one of her people. I think you will understand that, if I am to allow for him to be taken from the only home he has ever known, I must ask for more than your word in return. I am willing to negotiate, but a promise of peace is not enough."

"FATHER!"

The Allfather completely ignored Thor's cry of incredulous rage, only motioning for the Einherjar to hold his son back when Thor tried to advance on him. Mjölnir lay on the floor, rendered powerless by Odin's magic.

"What do you say, Laufey?"

Loki wanted to scream, or to…something, he wanted to do _something_ ( _hit Odin, scream at his father, run away and hide, beg not to be sent away with the monsters_ ), but it was like some magical force had frozen him. Maybe the Casket's ancient seidr had. His own magic was unreachable somewhere deep inside off him, intangible, evading his grasp like fine sand slipping through desperately grasping fingers.

"The Casket. You know that we are powerless without it. If you let me return to Jotunheim with him, I will leave the Casket behind."

"FATHER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Odin turned towards where Thor, from the sound of it, was fighting the Einherjar restraining him, his face as impassive as if his expression had been carved from stone.

"Negotiating. I must do this, Thor, for the good of Asgard."

He turned back towards Laufey, while Loki could do nothing but look on in silent horror. The Frost Giant king's eyes never left Loki's while Odin spoke, and Loki was trapped looking into red eyes filled with something that looked almost like hunger.

"Very well. You will use the Casket to travel back, but the artefact will remain here. But you cannot take my… _Loki_ from us forever. Allow him to return, for a while, after he has spent some time in Jotunheim. A visit is all I ask of you. So we may know that he is well, and whole."

Laufey finally looked away from Loki's face, fixing Odin with a hard stare.

"Three turns of our moon. Then my child may return here. _For a while_."

It almost sounded like a threat.

Desperately grasping for his magic, Loki wanted to scream when not even a spark of it obeyed him. He wanted to shout at Odin, who was trading him away for some ancient trinket, to run to Thor who seemed to still be fighting to get to him. He wanted to tear all of Asgard to shreds.

But no sound left his mouth, and not even a wisp of magic lifted from his paralyzed limbs. He had never felt so utterly helpless and frightened in his whole life.

Odin brought Gungnir down on the floor again, and to Loki it sounded like a death bell tolling.

"Very well. So be it."

Laufey raised the Casket, and a mirror-like portal opened up behind him, glowing white and blue. The other Jötnar, who so far had only stood silently behind their king, stepped through it one by one, until only Laufey was left in the Vault.

 _Wake up. This is the time to wake up. This cannot be real. Thor probably just hit you with Mjölnir again. You are just dreaming this. Or maybe a little to much mead. Tried to out-drink Volstagg again didn't you. How stupid. Wake up._

 _Wake up. Wake up. Wake. Up!_

Loki struggled to free himself, blood rushing loudly in his ears, and then nearly fell over when whatever bonds held him frozen disappeared. As quick as a cat pouncing on a mouse, Laufey stepped forward and grasped his arm.

Then Loki felt a sensation he had only ever experienced while travelling with the Bifröst, like and invisible cord wrapped around his insides pulling him away.

The last thing he heard before he was drawn into the void between worlds was Thor's voice desperately screaming his name.


	5. Four – Foreign Feeling

**Four – Foreign Feeling  
** _[Thor]_

"LOKI!"

Thor's bellowing cry staid unanswered. With a sound like wind whistling through a cave, the mirror-like portal closed behind Loki and the Jotun king.

His brother was gone.

Thor had often felt the heat of battle, the berserk rage that sometimes took hold of him when surrounded by enemies or faced with a wild beast. He had not thought it possible hat this rage would ever be directed at his father.

But Loki was gone, and Odin had done nothing. Had traded his brother away for peace with a monster, with a race he had fought and defeated before.

It was a strange, foreign feeling that gripped Asgard's crown prince in that moment, like a red haze clouding his vision while embers filled his chest.

"HOW DARE YOU!?"

But when he turned around to confront his father, Odin was not there, for the Allfather was no longer standing.

Odin lay on the floor of the Vault, one of the Einherjar cradling his fallen king.

Thor stared at the guard, uncomprehendingly.

"It is the Odinsleep, my prince."

Before Thor could reply, Odin opened his eye, already clouded with sleep. One of his hands still grasped Gungnir tightly.

"Thor, the Sleep is upon me. You are not ready…to be king. I cannot risk…another war."

Odin turned his head so he was looking at the guard instead of his son.

"I, Odin Allfather, name Queen Frigga of Asgard…as my Regent. Should this be my last Sleep, she shall crown Thor…once she deems him ready…to ascend to the throne. In my absence…all travel to Jotunheim is forbidden…and will be considered an act of treason. By my power as the Allfather…I declare the Ice Realm…closed to all of Asgard."

The last word had only just left his mouth when the Allfather's eye fell shut, the golden glow of the Odinsleep springing up around him, encasing him like a shield.

* * *

In a small room not far away from Valaskjálf's great hall, the scrying mirror slipped from Queen Frigga's fingers, the thin obsidian disc shattering when it hit the golden floor.


	6. Five – Foreign World

**Five – Foreign World**

 _A land of ice…  
Not winter, because that presumes an autumn and perhaps one day a spring. This is a land of ice, not just a time of ice._

 _~Terry Pratchett, 'Lords and Ladies'_

* * *

 _[Loki]_

The moment the portal spewed them out onto the cold, snow-covered ground of Jotunheim, Loki pushed forward what magic he could reach now that the Casket's seidr was no longer binding him, forcing Laufey to let go.

"Bring me back!"

"I cannot. Without the Casket, no one can leave this realm unless a passage is opened from another world."

Loki lunged at Laufey, a dagger materialising in his hand. With a shout of pure rage, he drove the blade deep into Laufey's arm.

And then stared at it, caught completely by surprise.  
He had stabbed Laufey. And the Jotun king had just… _allowed it_.

Granted, he might have though Loki would aim for his throat or chest and been caught by surprise, but he hadn't even tried to jump out of the way.

Black blood was running down Laufey's arm, shot through with silver and glistening strangely in the cold bluish light of Jotunheim's distant sun.  
A blue hand closed around Loki's own that was still clutching the dagger.

Loki watched, caught in some sort of strange shock-induced trance, as his own skin grew raised markings and turned blue.

It took him far longer than it should have to recognise the hand as Laufey's, and the burns marring it as the results of his own seidr.

"You may burn me and stab me if you like, but that will not make the truth go away."

" _I'll hunt the monsters down and slay them all!"_

It was Thor's voice, the voice of Thor as a young child, that suddenly rose from Loki's memory, unbidden.

Laufey prised the blade out of Loki's hand, careful not to aggravate his injuries, while Loki let himself be handled like a puppet, feeling numb.  
Suddenly Laufey's face was in his line of sight, and Loki realised that the Jotun king was _kneeling_ in front of him. He almost wanted to laugh.

"I found out when the Casket bound you that the Ice can force you out of your false Aesir skin. I am not doing this to be cruel, but in your Asgardian form you will die of cold. Do you understand?"

Loki's voice, when he answered, was rough and cold without him willing it.

"What do you care if I die?"

Laufey's expression remained very calm.

"You are my child."

Then the Jotun king stood up, brushing snow off his armour.

"Now. It is a long way to _Isrát_ , and soon night will fall. The night-creatures of Jotunheim are dangerous, and our group is far to small to fight most of them."

* * *

Asgardian legend had it that the Jötnar felt no cold. Loki had never considered that that might not be true. But the truth was: he could still _feel_ the cold.

It was simply…muted somehow, no longer the deathly bite of winter but the slight chill of autumn, the wind almost gentle against his face were it had been harsh and unforgiving for the brief moment he had experienced it in Aesir form.

He didn't know how much time he had spent marching along next to Laufey and his soldiers, either scanning the white-grey landscape for signs of a settlement or staring at his blue hand and willing the skin to change.

… _in your Asgardian form you will die of cold._

Loki glanced at Laufey out of the corner of his eye.

It was an odd though to have, but he couldn't quite shake the impression that Laufey had been…concerned. It had been strange to see the emotion on a blue-skinned face, but the pinched lips and slightly furrowed brow… Well. It was the exact same expression Frigga…

Loki stopped short, causing the Frost Giant behind him to bump into his back. He didn't notice, too caught up in the cold wave of dread crashing over him.

Had he honestly just compared that _monster_ to his _mother?_

What in the Norns' name had the Casket's magic done to him.

* * *

 _A/N:_ Just a small update to get back into the groove of things.


	7. Six – A Small Frost Giant

**Six – A Small Frost Giant**

 _[Laufey]_

The walk towards Isrát seemed interminable.

Laufey had to resist the urge to look at his child every few moments lest he lose his footing on the uneven ground, but he still kept Loptr in his peripheral vision.

No, not Loptr, he reminded himself. _Loki_.

It was the name his child had been given and that his child had claimed, and Laufey could respect that even if he loathed where the name came from.

 _Fárbauti will cry over that._

The thought made him stop short, causing one of his soldiers to walk into his back and then apologise hastily. Laufey turned abruptly.

"Heymin!"

Heymin stopped walking.

"My liege?"

"You have a gift for ice-running, do you not?"

Heymin shifted, looking uncomfortable.

"Yes, _Dragar_. Not as strong a gift as in my youth, perhaps, but I am told that I am still very fast."

Decision made, Laufey nodded.

"Good. Run to Isrát. Find Fárbauti and my children. Tell them to meet me in the _Dauspin_."

Heymin shifted again, now looking downright nervous.

"If they ask me why, what do I tell them, Dragar?"

Laufey took a deep breath.

"Tell them my third child is returning home."

His general nodded solemnly.

"Very well."

Then he took off, leaving a cloud of whirling snow in his wake.

Looking over to where the rest of their little band had stopped, Laufey was surprised to see Loki looking at him, though he hastily averted his gaze when their eyes met.

"Is there something you wish to ask?"

 _About your family, perhaps?_

Loki shook his head.

Heaving a sigh, the Jotun king turned and resumed walking.

* * *

 _[Loki]_

It was strange, to see Laufey interact with the giant he called Heymin. It was unexpectedly... _civil_ , and Loki could not help but be reminded of Odin and his advisors.  
The tone, the rote-learned gestures and careful formality were the same.

Beasts playing at being men. It was unsettling in the extreme.

Not to mention that he was left wondering who Fárbauti was. And wondering if Laufey's other children were somehow defective, that he would claim Loki so eagerly despite his small size.

 _A small Frost Giant. The Norns are laughing, surely._

Left rather without an alternative, Loki reluctantly started walking again when the Jötnar did. He was exhausted from keeping up with the considerably longer-legged warriors, and because he had not eaten anything before Thor's botched coronation. But he would be damned if he showed any weakness to these creatures.

He flinched when he caught sight of his blue hands, hastily hiding them under his cape.

 _These creatures. As if you are not one of them._

Everything inside of him railed against it, but the truth of his skin, the truth _in his bones_ that took the bite out of the wind and muted the cold was undeniable even if he would have loved to pretend.

Stumbling, Loki nearly fell face-first into a snowdrift in his distraction.

Nearly, for a large hand caught his cape, choking him for a moment, before he could.

"Please mind your steps, _Dragar._ "

Loki grit his teeth.

"Unhand me, you vile creature."

The Jotun made a sound suspiciously like a sigh, but obligingly let go of his cape once Loki had righted himself.

"My apologies, Dragar. I only wished to help."

"I don't need your help! I don't want anything from you, are you too _dense_ to understand that?! Just because your _King_ has decided to rip me away from my home and abduct me to this barren wasteland does not mean that I want to...to..."

He did not even know how he wanted that sentence to end and just so managed not to burst into tears.  
Loki hid his head in his hands, not wanting to look at the snow and the Frost Giants any longer.

When he was suddenly picked up by rough-skinned hands a moment later, he didn't even have the energy for so much as a token protest. Not even when he was cradled against a bone-clad chest like a child and the giant carrying him just started walking again as if nothing strange was happening.

He didn't know if he fell asleep or fell unconscious, but when darkness beckoned him, Loki went willingly, his helmet hitting the Jotun's bone-armour with a dull clank.

* * *

 _A/N:_ Updating this fic after what feels like years, as a seasonal-holiday-of-your-choice-gift to my readers. And because it was my birthday on the 22nd. Hope you enjoyed, comments are love.

[Also expect an update for "Bound By Fire" within the next few hours, or at least today.]


	8. Seven – A Tall Frost Giant

**Seven – A Tall Frost Giant**

 _[Helblindi]_

Helblindi was neither as smart as his _darí_ Fárbauti, nor as fast as his younger sibling Byleistr.

That didn't mean that he couldn't see Heymin, Laufey's favoured general, run in his direction at breakneck speed and conclude that something unusual had happened.

"Dragar! I have a message from you sire!"

Helblindi inclined his head towards Heymin as the older Jotun slowed and then came to a stop in front of him, breathing harshly.

"And what message is that?"

"You are to meet with your family in the Dauspin. I was told..." Heymin fidgeted, looking uncomfortable "...to tell you that Dragar Laufey's third child is coming home."

It took a moment, a long moment, for the words to properly register. When they did, Helblindi nearly sat down on the spot, suddenly feeling unsteady. He caught Heymin's arm before the general could start running again.

"Heymin."

"Yes Dragar."

"Does that mean...does that mean that Loptr...that Laufey found them?"

Heymin nodded, compassion writ large across his scarred features.

"Yes Dragar. In Asgard."

Helblindi felt like someone had punched him in the gut, dropping his hand in shock. Heymin took that opportunity too sketch a short bow before turning and running back in the direction he had come from.

It was only when his feet had already carried him almost halfway towards the Dauspin that the fog in Helblindi's head cleared enough to make him pick up his pace.

When Helblindi reached the Dauspin, slightly out of breath and with something akin to panic still clawing up his throat, he nearly crashed into his sibling rounding the last corner.

"Les!"

"Blindi!"

Byleistr bared his teeth at him and then hugged him, their horns brushing Helblindi's face.

"Did you hear?" Byleistr's trembling voice was muffled against Helblindi's chest. "Laufey found them. Loptr. In Asgard!"

Helblindi stroked his siblings black hair, trying to find words to convey his feelings on the matter. There weren't any to be found, so he settled on

"I know. Heymin told me."

His sibling hugged him harder, seemingly caught between exuberance and sheer terror.

"I should be happy. I am! But...they're going to hate us! And they won't know anything about how to...to be a Jotun. And maybe they won't even want us." Byleistr looked up, and Helblindi was suddenly reminded of how young his sibling was, for all that they were approaching their maturity.

He sighed.

"Yes."

They stood there for what felt like a long time, taking comfort in each other, before a voice had them both turning to face the curtain to the Dauspin.

"Children."

Fárbauti stood in the Dauspin's entrance. Her face was pale and there were ice-crystals clinging to her cheeks, but otherwise she looked every part the confident ruler they saw so often in the throne room.

"Darí. Heymin told you?"

She nodded.

"Come inside. It may be a while until your sire comes."

Byleistr let go of Helblindi and all but ran inside, while Helblindi went over to their dam.

"Are you well, darí?"

Fárbauti reached out to touch his cheek, a pedestal of ice rising out of the ground to even out their height. Her eyes were sad but her voice was steady when she said

"No. But your sibling is alive, so I think I will be."

Helblindi covered her hand with his own.

"Byleistr is afraid they will hate us. I do not think he is wrong. They were raised by our enemies. Do you think that it was wise of Laufey to bring them here?"

It was not surprising to see the flash of betrayal in Fárbauti's eyes, but the way she snatched her hand away still stung. His dam turned her face away.

"How can you ask me that. Do you have no love for me?"

Helblindi sighed once more. He remembered conversations like this from when he was still a child. By now, he had learnt that these words were not a true accusation.

"I love you, dam, with all my heart, as well you know. But I also love my siblings, _both of them_. Loptr will not be happy here. Laufey took them from what they thought was their home, to take them to our broken world, filled with those they were no doubt taught to fear. Do you think that was kind of him?"

Fárbauti refused to look at him.

"You wish to break my heart, don't you child?"

Helblindi shook his head.

"No. But I can see that I spoke too hastily. You are not ready to hear this yet. I understand that. Better than you think." He gently grasped his parent's shoulder. "We will speak of this later. For now, let us wait for Laufey."

She shrugged off his hand, vanishing the ice under her feet so she stood on the floor once more. Then she went inside the Dauspin without another word.

Heart heavy in his chest, Helblindi followed.

 _A/N:_ The chapter title refers to Helblindi, who I imagine to be Laufey's tallest child. I originally had a small part mentioning this that didn't make the final cut. Hope you enjoyed the new instalment.


	9. Eight – A Horned Frost Giant

**Eight – A Horned Frost Giant**

 _[Loki]_

Loki came to still cradled against a Frost Giant's chest. What had changed was that they were no longer outside. The wind that had torn at his clothes before was noticeably absent, and his carrier's footsteps echoed dully.

When he cautiously lifted his head, he was greeted by the sight of walls made of solid ice.

"Do you wish to walk, _Dragar_?"

It took Loki a moment to understand that the Jotun had addressed him.

"What?"

The giant frowned down at him.

"I could set you down?"

The _'or I could drop you'_ was clearly implied. Lacking much of an alternative, Loki nodded.

Once he was back on his own feet, he could see that they were inside what must once have been a palace. There were high archways and geometrical etchings everywhere, and in some places, the tattered remnants of banners and tapestries still clung to the icy walls. Tilting his head back, Loki saw that the only light was coming trough a gaping hole in the roof. Despite the poor illumination, he could see all the cracks and imperfections of the walls, and count the lines of the etchings.

" _They see in the dark, for Jötnar are creatures of night and shadow."_

The memory was startling in its clarity, the voice of his nursemaid recounting tales as clear as it had been when she sat next to him at his bedside during his childhood.

"Where are we?"

The question left his lips unbidden and for a moment he wished that he could snatch the words back.

 _What does it matter where we are._

Laufey turned around, his eyes glinting like hot coals in the dull light.

"Isrát. The palace of Jotunheim. The old palace, where my family lives."

"The glorious luxury of a great realm."

Laufey didn't so much as flinch at the insult. He just turned around and continued walking, catching up to his soldiers and forcing Loki into a run least he be left behind.

* * *

Loki didn't know how long they had walked through the ruined palace. All the walls and corridors looked the same save for the occasional pane-less window showing a view of ice and snow and a few caved in walls. He only knew that at one point Laufey's soldiers had left, leaving him alone with the Jotun king. They passed a row of curtain-covered archways, a hallway filled with destroyed ice sculptures and a large room that might once have been a banquet hall before they finally emerged into an open courtyard.

It almost looked like a mockery of Valaskjálf, a fountain standing in the middle of a perfectly round space, ornate benches and statues dotting the rest of the space in a symmetrical arrangement. Only that where there were gold and alabaster stone in Asgard, here there was nothing but ice and a few blocks of rough pale stone.

They crossed the courtyard in silence, entering a hallway once they reached its end. Loki could see a few curtains on one side, the other decorated with even more carvings.

Laufey paused in front of the largest archway at the end of the hall. It was covered by the hide of some large animal.

"Come meet your family."

With that the Jotun king stepped through the fur curtain, not looking back to see if Loki followed him.

* * *

Loki stood in front of the covered archway, hands clutching his cape. He had no name for the feeling inside his chest. It was not fear, but it wasn't _not_ fear either.

He could run. He could, he was alone in the corridor.

But where would he go?

Suddenly, the hide covering the archway was drawn aside. Loki jumped, hand flying to one of his hidden daggers and seidr gathering in his palms.

A blue face peeked out from behind the fur curtain.

It took the space of a few breaths for Loki to identify the creature as another Frost Giant. He had never seen one like _this_ before.

He wondered for a moment if this was what their females looked like, horned and with hair on their heads. Then the Jotun stepped in front of the curtain, showing his flat chest, and he dismissed the thought.

"Will you not come inside? It's draughty in the hallway."

Loki blinked, once.

"Who are you?"

The Jotun tilted his head.

"I am Byleistr. Your younger sibling. I like your helmet."

"What?"

"Your helmet. I like the horns. They make you look taller. But isn't all the metal cold around your head?"

Loki blinked again, thrown.

"It's enchanted."

"Oh! Of course. You have magic!"

Loki could have sworn the creature actually sounded _delighted_.

"I...yes."

Byleistr bared his teeth at him. Loki instinctively took a step back, raising his dagger. The Jotun closed his mouth, frowning.

"You don't need that."

"Stay away from me!"

Byleistr raised his hands.

"I just want you to come inside. I won't hurt you!"

Loki resisted the urge to laugh. This was absurd.

"What do you want from me?"

"I told you. I want you to come inside. It's draughty out here."

"If I come with you, what happens?"

"Well. You'd be out of the draught. And you could meet the rest of your family?"

"You _monsters_ are _not_ my _kin_!"

Byleistr tilted his head again. It was an odd, tentative gesture for a giant.

"But you _ralr_ say we are."

Something like annoyance crept into Loki's mind, momentarily breaking through his anger.

 _His what now?_

"My _what_ now?"

"Your _ralr_. Your...ah, clan markings?" Byleistr gestured. "The lines on your skin."

Suddenly, the Jotun was right up in Loki's space. Before he could so much as raise his dagger or send forth a scrap of magic, his helmet was whipped off and a cool blue finger touched his face, his vision obstructed by Byleistr's hand.

"This one, on your forehead. It's just like darí Fárbauti's. A sorcerer sickle. And these here" The finger was poked into his cheek. "are like Laufey's. Hail streaks."

"Unhand me, you foul creature. Or I will burn your hand off your arm."

Byleistr all but snatched his hand back.

"I didn't _do_ anything to you."

Sudden and unbidden, Loki felt his eyes stinging. Wrath swept through him, making him light-headed.

"You! You did not have to do a thing, you worthless beast! Your _sire_ DID ENOUGH!"

He threw his dagger at the Jotun, who dodged it by a hair's breadth, red eyes wide in surprise.

"Hey!"

"I want _nothing_ to do with you! Or your whole disgusting race! Just GET AWAY FROM ME!"

The Frost Giant was backing up hastily, the ice under his bare feet cracking as if responding to his distress.

"Hey, hey. You're frightened, I understand that. But don't..."

"I AM _NOT_ FRIGHTENED OF ANY OF YOU!"

Byleistr waved his hands as if warding off some unseen evil.

"It wouldn't matter if you were! It's normal to be afraid. You're all alone in a strange place. I would be frightened too."

Loki advanced on the Jotun, heedless of the beast's larger size, green mage-fire crackling around his hands. The giant's back hit the corridor's wall. He had the thing backed into a corner now.

"I am _not_ frightened of you, monster."

"Alright, alright! But I am frightened of _you_!"

Loki froze.

"Look." Byleistr raised one of his hands, slowly. A thin blade made of ice sprouted from his fingers. When he closed them into a fist, it shattered.

"You have magic and you know how to use it. I only have a little bit of Ice, and I can't even make a proper sword with it yet. Why would _you_ be afraid of _me_?"

* * *

There was a small eternity where the both of them just stood there, the only sound in the hallway their heavy breathing. Mage-fire flames whipped around Loki's hand.

He looked at Byleistr. Truly _looked_ , trying to see past the face of a beast. He couldn't. But even faced with features that were more creature than man, one thing was plain to see.

The Jotun was _terrified_ , backed into a wall and looking impossibly small despite his size, gaze fixed on Loki's hands. Horns and teeth and a giant's height, and the Frost Giant looked no more threatening than a mouse.

A mouse sat in front of a rather large cat, at that.

"You _are_ afraid of me."

Loki could hear the disbelief in his own voice. It seemed Byleistr could, too.

"Well yes! You're holding _fire_ , for Ymir's sake!"

Loki looked down at his hands. It was true. While he had not been paying attention, the mage-flames around his fingers had transformed into true fire.

His fingers were still blue and rigged like a Frost Giant's.

 _You_ are _a Frost Giant, you dimwitted idiot._

All of a sudden, laughter welled up inside his chest. Loki clapped a still flame-wreathed hand over his mouth.

"Don't do that! You'll hurt yourself!"

Byleistr sprang forward, making as if to grab Loki's wrist before he remembered the fire. He stilled, a bewildered look on his face.

"You're not burning. How are you not burning? How do you do that?"

He looked honestly confused. A strangled chuckle slipped past Loki's lips. Byleistr frowned.

"What's so funny?"

"I. You. This!" Loki gestured with his hand. This was _beyond_ absurd. "I'm a Frost Giant. Holding fire!" He giggled again, helplessly. "Odin's beard, a Frost Giant holding fire. The Norns are weeping."

Byleistr looked completely lost. Loki bent over, sides heaving with barely repressed laughter.

He barely even noticed the Jotun stepping towards the archway, drawing the curtain aside.

"Darí Laufey, darí Fárbauti. Helblindi. I think you can come out now. He's laughing."

Loki just laughed harder.

* * *

 _A/N:_ Whew, this chapter was an emotional rollercoaster. It seems that for Loki, hysteria has set in now that the first shock has passed. Hope you enjoyed, concrit is always appreciated and reviews are love.

[Side note: Technically, Loki is misgendering Byleistr in this chapter, which makes perfect sense given his ignorance about how Jotun genders work. A Frost Giant's 'neutral' ( _rudnar_ ) form looks a lot like "upper half male, lower half female" only without the rounded hips of a woman and less angular than most men. Loki just assumed that 'no breasts' means male, which is not how it works.]


End file.
